Vocabulary performance of children up to 36 months of age with Down syndrome

Marques, Ana Karina de Lima Pegado; Lima, Ivonaldo Leidson Barbosa; Alves, Giorvan Ânderson do Santos; Almeida, Larissa Nadjara Alves; Delgado, Isabelle Cahino

doi:10.1590/1982-0216/20212358821

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

this study aimed to analyze the vocabulary performance of children with Down syndrome, up to 36 months of age, in different semantic categories.

Methods:

eighteen children with Down syndrome, between 8 and 36 months of age. Section D of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was applied with guardians: First Words and Gestures, in order to obtain expressive and receptive performance in 22 semantic categories. The data were analyzed in a descriptive and inferential manner, using the Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman's correlation and Tukey's range tests (p <0.05).

Results:

children had higher performance averages in understanding semantic categories than in understanding and expression. The “action words” were the most understood ones, while the “people” category was the most understood and expressed. The greater the chronological age, the greater the children's vocabulary. A statistical difference was found between the understanding of nouns and other categories, according to chronological age, with a greater performance after 24 months of age.

Conclusion:

children with Down syndrome, up to 36 months of age, perform better in understanding vocabulary in all semantic categories.

Keywords:
Down Syndrome; Child Language; Language Development; Vocabulary; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Introduction

Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic alteration that is characterized by the trisomy of chromosome number 21, generated from an abnormal cell division, leading to numerous alterations in the organism that may impact on the neuropsychomotor development, cardiac system, stomatognathic system, hearing and vision¹1. Asim A, Kumar A, Muthuswamy S, Jain S, Agarwal S. Down syndrome: an insight of the disease. J Biomed Sci. 2015;22(1):41.. Thus, there is also a delay in global development, including language skills, in children with DS when compared to children with typical development (TD)²2. Lima ILB, Delgado IC, Cavalcante MCB. Language development in Down syndrome: literature analysis. Distúrb. Comun. 2017;29(2):354-64.

3. Channell MM, McDuffie AS, Bullard LM, Abbeduto L. Narrative language competence in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Front Behav Neurosci. 2015;9:283. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283...

4. Zampini L, Salvi A, D'Odorico L. Joint attention behaviours and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2015;59(10):891-901. doi: 10.1111/jir.12191.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12191... ^-⁵5. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017... .

This global delay can be seen in tests for the evaluation and monitoring of child development, which report a performance below the expected for the child's chronological age (CI) in multiple skills, such as sensory, motor, cognitive and linguistic skills.

Concerning language development, this population shows a better performance in comprehension than in expression, with some aspects of receptive skills, such as vocabulary recognition, proportional to non-verbal cognitive ability levels²2. Lima ILB, Delgado IC, Cavalcante MCB. Language development in Down syndrome: literature analysis. Distúrb. Comun. 2017;29(2):354-64.

3. Channell MM, McDuffie AS, Bullard LM, Abbeduto L. Narrative language competence in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Front Behav Neurosci. 2015;9:283. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283...

4. Zampini L, Salvi A, D'Odorico L. Joint attention behaviours and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2015;59(10):891-901. doi: 10.1111/jir.12191.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12191...

5. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017... ^-⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... .

Children with DS say their first words at a much older age than children with TD and, once they start to produce words, language continues to progress more slowly³3. Channell MM, McDuffie AS, Bullard LM, Abbeduto L. Narrative language competence in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Front Behav Neurosci. 2015;9:283. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283... ^,⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... . There is evidence that lexical performance of children with DS, both receptive and expressive, is lower than the performance of children with TD with the same mental age⁷7. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Predictors of receptive and expressive vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2019;21(1):10-22. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1363290.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2017.13... .

The delay in vocabulary development seems to reflect more general deficits in cognitive development - such as short-term phonological memory failures - and may continue, or even worse, during adolescence and adulthood⁴4. Zampini L, Salvi A, D'Odorico L. Joint attention behaviours and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2015;59(10):891-901. doi: 10.1111/jir.12191.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12191... ^,⁵5. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017... .

In this sense, further studies are required on this topic, as it is not widely studied⁸8. Majerus S, Barisnikov K. Verbal short-term memory shows a specific association with receptive but not productive vocabulary measures in Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2018;62(1):10-20. doi: 10.1111/jir.12443.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12443... and due to the relationship between vocabulary and the development of other language skills - such as syntactic and morphological skills⁴4. Zampini L, Salvi A, D'Odorico L. Joint attention behaviours and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2015;59(10):891-901. doi: 10.1111/jir.12191.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12191... . In addition, differences in the development of expression and lexical comprehension according to word categories have not yet been fully investigated in this population⁹9. Loveall SJ, Channell MM, Phillips BA, Abbeduto L, Conners FA. Receptive vocabulary analysis in Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil. 2016;55:161-72. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.0... .

Such findings would contribute to an increase in the effectiveness of early speech-language pathology stimulation in DS, thus, favoring language development and the quality of life of children and their families¹⁰10. Regis MS, Lima ILB, Almeida LNA, Alves GAS, Delgado IC. Speech-language therapy stimulation in children with Down's syndrome. Rev. CEFAC. 2018;20(3):271-80. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0216201820319617.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-02162018203... . In this sense, this study aimed to analyze the vocabulary performance of children with DS, up to 36 months of age, in different semantic categories.

Methods

This is a descriptive and transversal study that was developed in an extension project of the Universidade Federal da Paraíba - UFPB, Brazil. In order to develop this study, the researchers followed all ethical aspects and all the participants involved signed the Free and Informed Consent Form. This study was assessed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee with Human Beings of the UFPB, under no. 1.302.829.

The research sample was constituted by convenience, in a non-probabilistic way and according to the following eligibility criteria: participants of both genders, aged between eight and 36 months, participating in the entire evaluation process of the study and not having any implications in the auditory and visual systems, which was confirmed by evaluations prior to data collection.

Thus, 18 children with DS were selected to participate in the study, being nine boys and nine girls, all aged between 8 and 36 months. The mean CI was 20.61 months (±8.28) and the children were divided into three groups according to the age group:

Group 1 - Including four children (22.2%) from eight to 12 months of age;
Group 2 - Including nine children (50%) from 13 to 24 months of age;
Group 3 - Including five children (27.8%) from 25 to 36 months of age.

Data collection was performed using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: First Words and Gestures¹¹11. Galeote M, Checa E, Sánchez-Palacios C, Sebastián E, Soto P. Adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories for Spanish children with Down syndrome: validity and reliability data for vocabulary. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2016;25(3):371-80. doi: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-0007
https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-00... with the guardian of the child in order to obtain vocabulary development data.

This instrument¹¹11. Galeote M, Checa E, Sánchez-Palacios C, Sebastián E, Soto P. Adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories for Spanish children with Down syndrome: validity and reliability data for vocabulary. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2016;25(3):371-80. doi: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-0007
https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-00... was adapted and standardized to collect information on language comprehension, lexical production and use of the child's gestures from the family perspective. The inventory is divided into three parts: Part I, which consists of four sections and evaluates lexical understanding and production; Part II, which consists of six categories and evaluates the child's actions and gestures; and, Part III, which collects general family information, identification data and other information.

After applying the inventory, the data are converted into percentages. Despite the age range reported for the instrument, from eight to 12 months of age, section D has been used to collect information regarding semantic categories, in any age group, to verify the family's perception to the reception (understands) and expression (understands and speaks)¹²12. Lamônica DAC, Ferreira-Vasques AT. Escalas de desenvolvimento para avaliação de crianças. In: Giacheti CM, editor. Avaliação da fala e da linguagem: perspectivas interdisciplinares. Marília: Oficina Universitária; São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica; 2016. p.193-208.. Therefore, this instrument could be used in this study, which included participants aged between eight and 36 months.

Section D was designed to assess the observations regarding the communicative behavior of children and consists of 421 items organized in 22 semantic categories. These categories include nouns (toys, animals, vehicles, food and beverage, clothing, body parts, furniture and rooms, household utensils, objects, places and people), sound effects and animal sounds, verbs, qualities and attributes, games and routines, pronouns, quantifiers, time words, states (different meanings of “to be”), interrogatives, prepositions, locatives and articles. Then, the guardians must indicate which categories the children only understand and the categories that the children understand and speak¹¹11. Galeote M, Checa E, Sánchez-Palacios C, Sebastián E, Soto P. Adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories for Spanish children with Down syndrome: validity and reliability data for vocabulary. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2016;25(3):371-80. doi: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-0007
https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-00... ^,¹²12. Lamônica DAC, Ferreira-Vasques AT. Escalas de desenvolvimento para avaliação de crianças. In: Giacheti CM, editor. Avaliação da fala e da linguagem: perspectivas interdisciplinares. Marília: Oficina Universitária; São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica; 2016. p.193-208..

Finally, CI data and category scores in section D of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory of each participant- both in understanding and in understanding and speaking - were classified and introduced in a digital spreadsheet. Then, the mean, standard deviation and absolute and relative frequency were used to assess the variables in an inferential and descriptive way.

The Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to compare the means in vocabulary sections according to chronological age groups, while the Tukey's range test was used to the post-hoc analysis of groups.

Finally, Spearman's correlation was used to investigate the correlation between scores in the vocabulary sections and chronological and performance ages. In this study, correlation coefficient values from 0.1-0.3 were considered as a weak correlation; while values between 0.4-0.6 indicated a moderate correlation, and values ≳0.7 indicated a strong correlation between the variables.

The statistical software R v2.11.0 was used to perform the analyses with a 95% significance level (p<0.05) for all tests.

Results

Based on the application of the vocabulary list of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory, it was found that the means of “understanding” of the items of all semantic categories were higher than the means of “understanding and expression”. The “action words” section had the highest level of understanding by the participants, while the “people” section was the one that children with DS understood and spoke the most (Table 1).

In addition, statistical differences were found in the performance of “understanding” in sections D4, D5, D7, D8, D9, D10, D13, D15, D17, D21 (as shown in Table 1).

Correlations were also found between vocabulary performance and CI, being: moderate with sections D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D9, D10, D11, D12, D13, D15 and D18; and strong with sections D8 and D21 (Table 1).

Thumbnail

Table 1:
Comparison of means in vocabulary sections according to chronological age groups

Finally, a post-hoc analysis was used and more statistical differences were verified between groups 1 and 3 (Table 2) to investigate the means of which groups differed.

Thumbnail

Table 2:
Post-hoc analysis of vocabulary comprehension performance among chronological age groups

Discussion

The performance in "understanding" of all semantic categories was better than in the expressive vocabulary in DS (Table 1). This greater development in receptive vocabulary in all categories can also be noticed in children with TD¹³13. Silva CTS. Desenvolvimento lexical inicial dos 8 aos 16 meses de idade a partir do inventário MacArthur de desenvolvimento comunicativo - protocolo palavras e gestos [Thesis]. Salvador (BA). Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Letras; 2003.. However, the means obtained in the TD up to 16 months of age - both in understanding and in expression¹³13. Silva CTS. Desenvolvimento lexical inicial dos 8 aos 16 meses de idade a partir do inventário MacArthur de desenvolvimento comunicativo - protocolo palavras e gestos [Thesis]. Salvador (BA). Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Letras; 2003. - were higher than those observed in this study.

Phonological memory, which is a mnemonic skill related to the sequences of speech sounds, is a predictor for lexical development and processing and is impaired in DS⁹9. Loveall SJ, Channell MM, Phillips BA, Abbeduto L, Conners FA. Receptive vocabulary analysis in Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil. 2016;55:161-72. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.0... ^,¹⁴14. Conners FA, Tungate AS, Abbeduto L, Merrill EC, Faught GG. Growth and decline in language and phonological memory over two years among adolescents with Down syndrome. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2018;123(2):103-18. doi:10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.103
https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.... . This ability can be improved or worsened throughout childhood and adolescence, so it is crucial to carry out a targeted intervention in aspects of phonological memory that can improve reading, writing and oral language - receptive and expressive¹⁴14. Conners FA, Tungate AS, Abbeduto L, Merrill EC, Faught GG. Growth and decline in language and phonological memory over two years among adolescents with Down syndrome. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2018;123(2):103-18. doi:10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.103
https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.... .

Regarding the word categories, children with DS had a higher mean of understanding in the “action words” category and of understanding and expression in the “people” category (Table 1). This performance was similar to that of children with TD up to 16 months of age, who had higher averages in these same categories¹³13. Silva CTS. Desenvolvimento lexical inicial dos 8 aos 16 meses de idade a partir do inventário MacArthur de desenvolvimento comunicativo - protocolo palavras e gestos [Thesis]. Salvador (BA). Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Letras; 2003.. This aspect is in line with the findings of studies²2. Lima ILB, Delgado IC, Cavalcante MCB. Language development in Down syndrome: literature analysis. Distúrb. Comun. 2017;29(2):354-64.

3. Channell MM, McDuffie AS, Bullard LM, Abbeduto L. Narrative language competence in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Front Behav Neurosci. 2015;9:283. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283...

4. Zampini L, Salvi A, D'Odorico L. Joint attention behaviours and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2015;59(10):891-901. doi: 10.1111/jir.12191.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12191...

5. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017... ^-⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... on language development in DS, regarding children going through the same stages of the acquisition process, but in a delayed and slowed way.

Faced with a more restricted expressive vocabulary, children with DS favor the use of gestures in communication to participate in interactional contexts, which does not decrease with the increase in vocabulary and chronological age²2. Lima ILB, Delgado IC, Cavalcante MCB. Language development in Down syndrome: literature analysis. Distúrb. Comun. 2017;29(2):354-64.^,⁷7. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Predictors of receptive and expressive vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2019;21(1):10-22. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1363290.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2017.13... .

With respect to this increase in vocabulary, correlations were observed between the expansion of several categories and children's chronological age (Table 1). This finding was also shown in the typical development and in other studies in DS⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... ^,⁷7. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Predictors of receptive and expressive vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2019;21(1):10-22. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1363290.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2017.13... ^,¹⁵15. Witecy B, Penke M. Language comprehension in children, adolescents, and adults with Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil. 2017;62:184-96. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.014
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.0... . This increase has variability in children with DS, due to the syndrome phenotype¹1. Asim A, Kumar A, Muthuswamy S, Jain S, Agarwal S. Down syndrome: an insight of the disease. J Biomed Sci. 2015;22(1):41., and is related to chronological age, maternal educational level and the development of auditory skills, non-verbal cognitive skills, working memory and phonological processing⁵5. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017... ^,¹⁵15. Witecy B, Penke M. Language comprehension in children, adolescents, and adults with Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil. 2017;62:184-96. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.014
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.0... .

There was a statistical difference in the understanding of sections between groups 1 and 3, which means that there was a significant increase in vocabulary development in some semantic categories after 24 months of age (Table 2). This finding is associated with the vocabulary explosion phenomenon that occurs in child development, in which there is a rapid increase in the acquisition of new words by children⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... .

There is evidence that this phenomenon occurs in TD around 18 months of age, but it is not clear when it occurs in DS and even if it occurs in all children⁵5. Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017... ^,⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... . The main changes in vocabulary size were reported at 36 months of age in DS in longitudinal observations⁶6. Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.82... .

In view of this, early speech-language pathology stimulation in DS is understood as crucial to language development in this population¹⁰10. Regis MS, Lima ILB, Almeida LNA, Alves GAS, Delgado IC. Speech-language therapy stimulation in children with Down's syndrome. Rev. CEFAC. 2018;20(3):271-80. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0216201820319617.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-02162018203... , due to the possible contributions to lexical acquisition, as well as other language skills.

Studies on vocabulary development, including performance in semantic categories, contribute to clinical practice to score classes of words more favorable to stimulation, such as “action words” and “people”, and classes that are more challenging, so that the speech-language pathologist can develop strategies sensitive to the child neurodevelopment process in DS. In this sense, further studies are recommended on this topic, including a larger sample and with a longitudinal approach, for example.

Conclusion

Children presented with Down syndrome, up to 36 months of age, perform better in understanding vocabulary in all semantic categories. The “action words” were the most understood, while the “people” category was the most understood and expressed. There is an expansion in the understanding of lexical elements, starting at 13 months of age and there is no expansion of expressive vocabulary until 36 months of age.

REFERENCES

¹
Asim A, Kumar A, Muthuswamy S, Jain S, Agarwal S. Down syndrome: an insight of the disease. J Biomed Sci. 2015;22(1):41.
²
Lima ILB, Delgado IC, Cavalcante MCB. Language development in Down syndrome: literature analysis. Distúrb. Comun. 2017;29(2):354-64.
³
Channell MM, McDuffie AS, Bullard LM, Abbeduto L. Narrative language competence in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Front Behav Neurosci. 2015;9:283. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283
» https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283
⁴
Zampini L, Salvi A, D'Odorico L. Joint attention behaviours and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2015;59(10):891-901. doi: 10.1111/jir.12191.
» https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12191
⁵
Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Core vocabulary of young children with Down syndrome. Augment Altern Commun. 2017;33(2):77-86. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017
» https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017
⁶
Zampini L, D'Odorico L. Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: longitudinal and cross-sectional data. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013;38(4):310-7. doi:10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
» https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2013.828833
⁷
Deckers SRJM, Van Zaalen Y, Van Balkom H, Verhoeven L. Predictors of receptive and expressive vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome. Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2019;21(1):10-22. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1363290.
» https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2017.1363290
⁸
Majerus S, Barisnikov K. Verbal short-term memory shows a specific association with receptive but not productive vocabulary measures in Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2018;62(1):10-20. doi: 10.1111/jir.12443.
» https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12443
⁹
Loveall SJ, Channell MM, Phillips BA, Abbeduto L, Conners FA. Receptive vocabulary analysis in Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil. 2016;55:161-72. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.018
» https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.018
¹⁰
Regis MS, Lima ILB, Almeida LNA, Alves GAS, Delgado IC. Speech-language therapy stimulation in children with Down's syndrome. Rev. CEFAC. 2018;20(3):271-80. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0216201820319617
» https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0216201820319617
¹¹
Galeote M, Checa E, Sánchez-Palacios C, Sebastián E, Soto P. Adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories for Spanish children with Down syndrome: validity and reliability data for vocabulary. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2016;25(3):371-80. doi: 10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-0007
» https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-15-0007
¹²
Lamônica DAC, Ferreira-Vasques AT. Escalas de desenvolvimento para avaliação de crianças. In: Giacheti CM, editor. Avaliação da fala e da linguagem: perspectivas interdisciplinares. Marília: Oficina Universitária; São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica; 2016. p.193-208.
¹³
Silva CTS. Desenvolvimento lexical inicial dos 8 aos 16 meses de idade a partir do inventário MacArthur de desenvolvimento comunicativo - protocolo palavras e gestos [Thesis]. Salvador (BA). Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Letras; 2003.
¹⁴
Conners FA, Tungate AS, Abbeduto L, Merrill EC, Faught GG. Growth and decline in language and phonological memory over two years among adolescents with Down syndrome. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2018;123(2):103-18. doi:10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.103
» https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-123.2.103
¹⁵
Witecy B, Penke M. Language comprehension in children, adolescents, and adults with Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil. 2017;62:184-96. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.014
» https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.014

Trabalho realizado no Curso de Fonoaudiologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba - UFPB, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brasil.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
03 Dec 2021
Date of issue
2021

History

Received
09 Oct 2021
Accepted
16 Nov 2021

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License

[1] ¹
Asim A, Kumar A, Muthuswamy S, Jain S, Agarwal S. Down syndrome: an insight of the disease. J Biomed Sci. 2015;22(1):41.

[2] ²
Lima ILB, Delgado IC, Cavalcante MCB. Language development in Down syndrome: literature analysis. Distúrb. Comun. 2017;29(2):354-64.

[3] ³
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SECTIONS	UNDERSTANDS							UNDERSTANDS AND SPEAKS
	GROUP 1 UP TO 12 MONTHS		GROUP 2 13-24 MONTHS		GROUP 3 25-36 MONTHS		P-VALUE	GROUP 1 UP TO 12 MONTHS		GROUP 2 13-24 MONTHS		GROUP 3 25-36 MONTHS		P-VALUE
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	P-VALUE	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	P-VALUE
D1 - Sounds of things and animals	2	4	4.44	3.5	4.8	3.34	0.373	0	0	1.78	2.2	1	1	0.116
D2 - Animals	1.25	2.5	7.67	8.98	8.2	9.09	0.19	0	0	0.33	0.7	0	0	0.347
D3 - Vehicles+	1	0.81	3.22	2.44	3	1.22	0.117	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D4 - Toys+	0.75	0.5	5	3	4.8	3.11	0.046*	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D5 - Clothes+	0	0	5.22	5.33	7.6	6.8	0.025*	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D6 - Food and beverage+	2	2.45	10.89	9.56	12	6.67	0.05	0	0	0.56	0.88	0.2	0.45	0.396
D7 - Body parts+	0.5	1	8.33	5.52	9	5.75	0.028*	0	0	0.33	0.71	0	0	0.347
D8 - Furniture and rooms°	0.5	0.58	7.22	6.36	12	6.48	0.022*	0	0	0	0	0.8	1.79	0.273
D9 - Household utensils+	0.5	1	12	9.96	16.6	7.16	0.015*	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D10 - Objects and places outside the home+	0.25	0.5	6.22	7.82	10	6.44	0.016*	0	0	0	0	0.2	0.45	0.273
D11 - Games and social routines+	3.25	5.25	11.78	4.63	12.2	5.26	0.072	0	0	0.22	0.44	1.6	2.5	0.113
D12 - People+	3.25	2.22	5.11	2.15	4.6	4.5	0.424	0	0	1.78	1.78	2	2.12	0.082
D13 - Action words+	7.25	13.2	29.11	13.64	35	13.73	0.043*	0	0	0.44	1.01	1.4	3.13	0.617
D14 - States	0.5	1	0.22	0.67	1.2	1.1	0.162	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D15 - Qualities and attributes+	0.25	0.5	12.22	10.3	14	9.87	0.046*	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D16 - Time words	0.75	1.5	1.67	2.18	1.6	1.14	0.607	0	0	0.11	0.33	0	0	0.607
D17 - Questions	0.25	0.5	2.11	0.93	1.4	0.89	0.019*	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
D18 - Pronouns+	0	0	4.44	5.68	5.8	6.02	0.083	0	0	0.11	0.33	0	0	0.607
D19 - Adverbial Quantifiers, Adverbs and Locutions	0	0	2.78	2.33	2	3.46	0.055	0	0	0.11	0.33	0	0	0.607
D20 - Articles	0	0	1	2.29	1	1.14	0.375	0	0	0.33	0.71	0	0	0.347
D21 - Locatives°	0	0	2.56	3.09	4.8	3.27	0.024*	0	0	0.11	0.33	0	0	0.607
D22 - Prepositions	0	0	0.44	1.01	0.4	0.89	0.615	0	0	0.22	0.67	0	0	0.615

UNDERSTANDING IN SECTIONS	GROUP 1 X GROUP 2	GROUP 1 X GROUP 3	GROUP 2 X GROUP 3
D4 - Toys	0.066	0.091	1
D5 - Clothes	0.086	0.026*	1
D7 - Body parts	0.041*	0.057	1
D8 - Furniture and rooms	0.168	0.018*	0.643
D9 - Household utensils	0.042*	0.019*	1
D10 - Objects and places outside the home	0.132	0.013*	0.623
D13 - Action words	0.101	0.055	1
D15 - Qualities and attributes	0.073	0.08	1
D17 - Questions	0.343	0.015*	0.787
D21 - Locatives	0.186	0.02*	0.623

Brasil